Child protection circle

Vaccination for children from the first years of life is extremely important, helping the body produce specific immunity against many infectious diseases to develop comprehensive health.

Parents take their children to get vaccinated at CDC Da Nang . Photo: TV

Need to inject fully and on time

Coming to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Da Nang (118 Le Dinh Ly, Thanh Khe district) late in the afternoon, there were quite a lot of parents and children coming to get vaccinated. Ms. Tran Thi Nguyet (29 years old) and her husband, Mr. Nguyen Viet Truong (35 years old, Thanh Khe district) said: “We took our 18-month-old daughter to get a hepatitis B booster shot. Vaccination for children from birth is very necessary and the booster shot is even more important. Because the first or second shot is only effective for a certain period of time, if the amount of antibodies decreases and the booster shot is not given, the child's body will not be able to protect itself if the pathogen attacks.”

Dr. Truong Tan Nam, Head of the General Clinic, CDC Da Nang, said that parents should pay attention to the booster shots so that the child's body produces more antibodies the next time than the previous time to prevent and avoid the risk of disease. In fact, many parents forget to give booster shots, which reduces the effectiveness of the vaccine and the child has no barrier against infectious diseases. The schedule of each vaccine is closely researched by the manufacturer to ensure the best immune response for the user. Therefore, parents need to follow the full vaccination schedule on schedule.

“To remind parents of the vaccination schedule, when it is time for the booster shot, the center will send a text message or call. At the same time, the vaccination book clearly states the vaccination time and specific injections so that parents can know the information. At the same time, before giving the booster shots, we check whether the child has a strong reaction to the previous vaccination or not and depending on the assessment, the first reaction is mild, moderate or severe to consider. Any type of vaccine, if the booster shot is given later than the prescribed time, will not be effective in preventing the disease, we are forced to test the amount of antibodies, otherwise a new course of injection will be required. 90% of parents who received the first shot at the CDC returned for the booster shot,” said Dr. Nam.

According to Dr. Tran Nguyen Thu Thao, Deputy Director of CDC Da Nang, in addition to the recommended vaccines for children such as diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, Hib (Hemophilus influenza type B), children need to be vaccinated with 20 more vaccines such as: tuberculosis, hepatitis B, meningitis caused by Hib, polio, Rota virus causing diarrhea and pneumococcus, influenza, meningococcus BC, meningococcus ACYW135, Japanese encephalitis, cholera, typhoid, measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, hepatitis A...

“Currently, Vietnam has produced and provided vaccines to prevent 8/10 infectious diseases in the expanded immunization program and some other vaccines suitable for the country's resources. At the same time, the Government has a roadmap to supplement vaccines in stages to contribute to protecting health and reducing the burden of disease. In the 2022-2030 period, the Government will add 4 more free vaccines for children: Rotavirus, pneumococcus, HPV (a virus that causes genital cancer, especially cervical cancer) and seasonal flu,” Dr. Thao shared.

Not only at CDC Da Nang but also at VNVC Vaccination Center (North Monument Park, Hai Chau District), there are quite a lot of customers coming to get vaccinated according to the registered schedule. Ms. Le Thi Huong Giang (30 years old) said that although many vaccinations outside the free list have quite high prices such as acute diarrhea Rotavirus, diseases caused by pneumococcus, meningococcal meningitis ACYW-135, but to ensure the health of her child, she is willing to respond.

Like children, adults also need to be vaccinated against infectious diseases during the preparation period for pregnancy. Ms. Le Thi Huong Giang (30 years old) said: “I plan to have a baby in the near future, hoping to limit infectious diseases affecting my child during pregnancy, so I registered for measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, flu and hepatitis B vaccinations. As for tetanus, I was advised to get the first injection when I am about 20 weeks pregnant and complete the second injection at least 1 month before giving birth. Not only me, my husband also got the same vaccine to double the circle of protection. My husband and I want to prepare everything best before entering a healthy pregnancy.”

Choose a trusted vaccination site

Ms. Nguyen Thanh Thao (35 years old, Cam Le district) happily said: “I chose to get vaccinated at CDC Da Nang since the birth of my first son and now my second son. The space here is spacious, airy, and has a playground. In parallel, the doctors and nurses call and text to remind me of the specific vaccination time for the booster shots. Thanks to that, my child has been fully vaccinated, without missing any shots, and now that I have given birth to my second son, I know by heart which vaccines to get and when to get them.”

Sharing the same opinion, Ms. Phan Thi Ai Nhi (40 years old, Hai Chau district) said: “I chose to have my daughter vaccinated at the ward health station. In addition to the vaccines on the expanded vaccination list, I registered to get the necessary shots for my child at CDC Da Nang because this is a trustworthy place. Choosing a reputable place to get vaccinated is important to avoid any unfortunate consequences.”

Dr. Tran Nguyen Thu Thao said that currently, people have many choices of vaccination locations such as vaccination services at centers or vaccination at ward and commune health stations or district and county health centers. This has positive meaning and creates opportunities for people to conveniently and easily access services, helping to increase vaccination coverage in the community. At the same time, private health facilities have also developed strongly in recent years, contributing to sharing the responsibility of health care for people with public health, including disease prevention vaccination.

According to Dr. Pham Truc Lam, Deputy Director in charge of CDC Da Nang, using vaccines to prevent diseases is an advanced trend in medicine because there are many infectious diseases that need to be prevented in advance. However, to widely use vaccines depends on many factors: the level of impact, high level of infection in the community; epidemiological characteristics; disease models; financial resources; ability to research and produce vaccines. About 85%-95% of vaccinated people will produce specific immunity to protect the body from disease. Vaccines and vaccinations help people, especially children, to be healthy, limit illness, reduce health care costs, time and effort. Therefore, widespread vaccination coverage also protects the community and develops human resources. Therefore, vaccination not only protects human health, has a long-term impact on the health of the race, but also brings economic and social benefits to families, communities and the country.

HUYNH TUONG VY

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